For this week’s newsletter, we asked our storyteller Jacob Dunne for a few words of reflection on the run-up to the world premiere of PUNCH, a play based on Jacob's life and written by playwright James Graham who recently wrote the hit show "Dear England". Here, Jacob also reflects on his experience of restorative justice, and the guidance he received from his friend and fellow storyteller, the late Shad Ali:
“Some time ago, I stood at a podium delivering my first-ever keynote speech in my first-ever suit, bought especially for this event.
It was a Restorative Justice conference with crime commissioners and senior management teams from across the justice system. I had been out of custody for about two years and was speaking under the pseudonym ‘Tony’ to protect my identity. I shared how simply hearing from the victims of my manslaughter case had already started to change my life (we had not yet met face-to-face). But there was someone in the crowd—a victim of a racial attack—who was also sharing the benefits he had found from starting the restorative process (he had not met face-to-face with his attacker yet either). But here we were— our humanity revealed to each other — a 'victim' and 'offender' having a voice in a system that rarely allowed for it.
His name was Shad Ali, and mine was Jacob Dunne. After that rare encounter, it felt like we were living parallel lives—him supporting me through my restorative justice process and me supporting him through his. We gave each other a deeper understanding of the challenges and needs from both sides— with me fighting shame, and Shad fighting for his voice to be heard.
Shad was already working for The Forgiveness Project in the RESTORE programme (a group-based prison intervention) and quickly encouraged me to get involved! The rest, as they say, is history. I went on to share my story and help facilitate many programmes with groups of up to 20 prisoner participants. Each revealing something profound— both for me and the men we were working with.
Shad and I would both go on to have face-to-face restorative justice - him with his offender and me with parents of my victim. And Shad (along with The Forgiveness Project team) would become my valuable mentors and friends. Sadly, we all lost our dear friend Shad to illness in 2017, but his legacy lives on through all of us in our struggle for a more peaceful world.
Particularly, Shad helped me process sadness by leaning into it, feeling it, expressing it, and healing.


So although I am saddened that he won’t be there on the opening night of my new show PUNCH at our local theatre in Nottingham, we will all be there. Leaning in, feeling, and healing, through the one thing that we at The Forgiveness Project all believe in: dialogue.
On the 10th of May, I will be joined after the 7:30pm show at the Nottingham playhouse by members of The Forgiveness Project team in a conversation around Forgiveness. Furthermore, The Forgiveness Project’s F Word exhibition will be on display within the playhouse throughout the run of PUNCH (4th- 25th May 2024).
I hope you can support us in shining a light on how we can do 'Justice' better. In shining a light on the belief that forgiveness is worth pursuing, and that alternative ways to responding to conflict are applicable to all of us.
For this newsletter, I would like to sign off the same way Shad did in every email:
With 'Peace, Love, and Harmony',
Jacob Dunne”
To find out more about ‘PUNCH’, including show times and access to tickets, follow the link below.
Dear Jacob Dunne I got involved many years ago with the forgiveness project trying to work out how to find positivetisness from shocking cruelty. As a child I had spend 3 1/2 years in Japanese concentration camps during WW2 out in the far east ( just for being white skinned ) My mother who was with me in those camps with her 3 small children never learned to forgive . Neither did my father who was sent to work building the Burma railway during the same time . Forgiveness was the only remedy to issues that cannot otherwise be understood or dealt with . You will never be the same again Good for you !! Best wishes, Hanneke Coates